Reinstated
by Requested
Summary: Alex Rider is living with Sabina, in a town a short train ride away from the town that Jack Starbright grew up in. It is the anniversary of her death and he is having trouble coming to terms with it. Until someone new turns up on the scene. Alex must choose who he trusts even though in his experience, he should trust no-one. He must learn fast as a new, stronger enemy is emerging.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider books.**

I woke up, my eyes blurry from a bad night sleep. It was that moment when I realised what day it was, and when despair and hopelessness descended upon me once again.

"It's that day again isn't it" Sabina asked. She was ready for school and standing by the door, her eyes full of worry and sympathy.

But I couldn't even tell her, my throat was dry and it was all I could do to stop myself from crying let alone forming words with my lips. But one look from my beseeching eyes gave her the answer. And so, without another word, she left the house on her way to school, without me.

Not even Sabina could cheer me up on this day. Usually I locked myself in my room and lived though the terrors that were this day a year ago. But today felt different, maybe this time I would be able to visit her gravestone without turning back; maybe today I could manage it. So, in my cold soulless state I slipped out of the house and along the street, towards the train station. The train journey was hell. I hated enclosed places, I hated the way it smelt but most of all I hated the fact that until the next station, there was no way out.

I collapsed into a seat next to a lady who glanced at me worriedly. I looked up and I saw that her hair was exactly the same shade that Jack's had been. I swallowed trying to divert my eyes from it. Jack had been like the functional family that I had never had, she had never tried to trick me, train me or expect more of me than she should. She had been the one person who I could rely upon then she had died and I had let it happen.

The train stopped and I ran out of the doors, desperate to get out of the enclosed space that seemed to press down upon me. But what I faced outside was much worse. I walked stiffly, trying to put one foot in front of the other and trying not to think of what I was about to do. It seemed like forever, that short walk to the church in the town. I was scared that I might bump into Jack's parents so I kept to the shadows. With every step my heart seemed to accelerate and finally, when my heart felt like it was going at 100 mph and definitely breaching the speed limit, I was there. In front of me was the tiny village church, which was covered in blossoming flowers. But as I looked, my attention was drawn to the things that littered the graveyard. I took a deep breath and marched to one of the newer gravestones. And there, on the shiny pale surface were the words 'Here lies Jack Starbright' I stopped reading. I could not bear to read the rest of the gravestone, the words seemed like there had been carved into me and not into the hard smooth stone before me. Accepting that jack was dead had been the hardest thing for me even though I had seen the whole thing on video and knew it to be true. She had been the only person who had really known me for what and who I was.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark-haired boy walking up the narrow stone path towards me carrying a bunch of flowers. He paused beside me, tears trickling down his face, before laying the flowers on her grave. He seemed to have to tear his attention away from the stone to turn to me.

"You must be Alex" he said, his voice cracked as he spoke.

I mustered a minute nod.

"I'm Ethan," he said stretching his hand out in my direction. "J..." he didn't seem to be able to say her name "...her nephew" he said finally.

I took his hand and nodded again, still unable to say anything.

Then we both turned away and wondered down the weed-ridden path in a hollow silence that seemed strangely comforting.

**Thanks for reading please comment :) Should i continue? Any ideas?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider books.**

Jack had mentioned Ethan a few times, talking about how we were so similar, but I had always assumed that we would never meet. I looked at him now, out of the corner of my eye and saw him staring straight back at me.

"I know you must be kind of suspicious of me, Jack told me about what you did with MI6 and since I appeared out of nowhere..." he trailed off.

"I have something for you" he said reaching in the back of a draw and opening a fake compartment. He fumbled for a minute and then brought out a small-padlocked box. Then he reached down his shirt and produced a key attached to a necklace. He opened the box with the small golden key. I almost couldn't bear to see what was in that box but at last after one long minute I realised I had no choice but to look. I looked down into the box. It was empty all but for a small note and a necklace with a key attached identical to the one that Ethan had just produced.

I franticly grabbed the note and read the words written there in Jack's untidy scrawl.

_Dear Alex, I am writing this to you because I know how dangerous your life is and I know that you swore not to go back to it, but you always seem to find your way back to MI6 by accident. I guess it's in your blood. What I am trying to say is that the bad guys usually win by going for the loved ones of the good guys and since I am the only one left I guess they may go for me. So if you and Ethan finally meet I will either be dead or in danger. Either way these may be the last words that you hear from me and I must tell you all that I know. Alex, your father and mother lived in fear as soon as the trick on Scorpia was planned. So they set up a kind of safe house for you, and as in his younger days your father was one of the best gadget makers this safe haven has everything you may need if you get into trouble. However, there is something more in that house that your mother and father swore to protect, a knowledge so powerful that if anyone should hear about it they may be tempted to use it. It is only safe in the right hands which is why I have given a key to the two people I trust most in the world. You, and Ethan. Trust him Alex, he is your last hope. Now I cannot tell you where the haven is in case this note gets into the wrong hands only that you will find a clue at the place where you almost died for the first time._

_I love you both,_

_Jack starbright_

Ps. my full name is Jacqueline Starbright, I thought you should know.

I looked up and looked at Ethan, he nodded and then I sat down at the computer in his house and I booked the first flights back to England.

I couldn't tell my foster parents or Sabina that I was going. They would try to stop me, or worse, they would try and help me. And as Jack had written in her letter to me, it's the people you love getting hurt that hurts you the most. And so I took Jack's lead and wrote a note for them.

_Dear the Pleasures,_

_I am going somewhere that I must go alone. Please don't try to follow me it will only result in you getting hurt. I will come back as soon as I get this done. I love you all._

_Alex_

I stopped writing, that would have to do. I put on my jacket and my backpack leaving my note in the middle of the kitchen table. Then I crept silently down the hall and through the front door, closing it as quietly as I could so that all that was heard in the early morning was a muted 'click'.

Ethan was there waiting for me at the train station. He stood watching the dark figures that stood waiting for the early morning trains. I walked over to him and gave him a nod. I had decided that If Jack trusted this guy then I should, it would be useful having someone to back me up. But then again, I had learnt never to trust anyone completely and so throughout our whole, mostly silent journey to the airport I kept an eye on Ethan Moore.

**Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you have enjoyed it so far. Please continue.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider books.**

I stepped out of the plane and the felt the cold English weather on my cheek. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. Even coming back to England brought back the memories of pain and suffering. Not only that, but I got the feeling that someone or something was watching me. I shivered but then proceeded down the steps of the plane. Ethan was waiting for me by the main entrance with our two backpacks. Jack was right, Ethan seemed like a good guy and it certainly helped that I had someone to watch out for my back.

"So do you have any idea where we might be going" he asked with a grin.

"I hope so" I replied opening the door of a nearby cab and telling the driver "Regents Park please" Ethan gave me a skeptical look but then jumped in after me. Once again, our journey was a silent one. When we were doing something as important as this, other people overhearing us was the last thing we needed. Soon enough we arrived at regents park, London.

I was six when it happened, I was visiting the park with my uncle and I got lost in the crowd. I called out to him but he didn't come, so I shoved through the crowd trying to find him. My foot fell on a loose rock by the side of the lake and I lost my footing. I remember falling into the water and screaming out but no one heard my yells. I remember finally giving up and letting the water take over my body and then I remember waking up in a hospital to someone calling my name.

"Alex, Alex" Ethan said rousing me from my flashback. "We're here"

I opened the door of the cab as Ethan paid the driver and walked quickly over to the spot where I had fallen in. There was the cafe that had been just behind me when I fell in and there was the loose rock that had caused my fall. I scanned the area, trying not to attract attention.

"So, what's the story?" he asked

"I fell into this lake when I was six and almost drowned." I said trying not to relive it again. His eyes fell on the rock that I was staring at and he reached down to touch it, dislodging it from it position. And that is when I saw It. A small, dirt encrusted piece of paper lay folded on the hard, uneven rock. I grabbed the piece of paper and replaced the rock before anyone noticed. Ethan reached out to open the note but I stopped him.

"Not now" I said walking quickly towards the exit. "Too many people" and I sowed it in my pocket. We took the tube and got off at a stop that we had never heard of where we found a cheap hotel. Jack had given Ethan money for our trip but I knew that we would need it later so we spent as little as possible. The hotel was at least clean and we didn't find any unpleasant surprises in our rooms. The staff were very young and uninterested which suited us both fine as it meant they didn't nose into why two young boys who probably should be at school were checking in to their hotel on a Wednesday night.

Behind the locked door of my room Ethan and I stared at the dirt-encrusted piece of paper. On it was printed the words:

Mint choc-chip ice cream

We both stared at the piece of paper for a minute and then Ethan burst out laughing. What he saw was a piece of a torn ice cream wrapper, what I saw was our next clue.

"You can't be serious" he stared at me like I was mad.

"I don't believe in coincidence" I said the shadow of a smile playing on my lips.

He sighed and went to leave my room.

"Well don't say I didn't tell you so if we don't find any clues at the ice cream shop tomorrow" Ethan called back to me, shutting the door behind him.

**If you want me to put anything in the next chapter, please review and i will try and include it :)**


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